Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1886. Mr W. C. Buchanan and His Constituents.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1785, 20 January 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1886. Mr W. C. Buchanan and His Constituents.

Tue speeches recently delivered by, Mr W. C. Buchanan to bis constituents afford a remarkably clear and succinctly stated- exposition of the present state of public affairs. Mr Buchanan made three speeches—one at Carterton, another at Greytown, and a third at featherston —but they were practically the same with the subject dealt with. We pass over Mr Buchanan’s review of what took place in Parliament during last session, and the one before it, and his narrative of how successive Ministries were formed and came to grief. The story is a very old one and will not bear repetition, though it seems that every member who comes before his constituents is expected to tell it. Mr Buchanan next reckoned up the present Ministry, and showed how very little they had done. This was the most effective part of the speech. Mr Buchanan pointed out that during last session the Ministry were afforded a most favorable opportunity of showing tl.it they were capable of doing good work I 1 the colony, but that they miserably failed. Mr Buchanan was very effective in quietly ridiculing the vain glorious and absurd pretensions put forward by Sir Julius Vogel when he again entered upon public life on his return to the colony, and told the colonists that they had only been "dozing” daring his absence, and that he was the only man in the world who could waken them up to vigorous life and activity. " Yet,” quoth Mr Buchanan, " wo, the working bees of the colony, had not been exactly idle when Sir Julius was enjoying himself in England. We had battled v.-ith the wilderness, increased our Hocks and herds, produced much more wool, grain, meat and other exports, and established several important new industries." But Vogel sneered at all this, and told the people of New Zealand that they were still u *>> ..ch op, and that if they would wake up “ , -him they would enjoy a degree of and folio.. —Uv guoh they Lad not wealth and prosK . s ,,_ j; o ,j nn ately, yet even been able to imago. £ the colonists declined to follow Vug.. * u ' but preferred going on iu their own hardworking, prudent way, and so escaped being lured on to ruiu by a selfish and unprincipled schemer and adventurer.

Mr Buchanan next dealt with the subject of the railways. He showed that the Government at one time promised to promote non* political Biar U of Control, and not only failed to do this, hit afterwards, through the mouth of the Premier, declared “ that the Boards would be a piece of absurdity.” Mr Buchanan's indictment against the Government with respect to their administration of the railways was a heavy one. He showed by the inexorable logic of fact* and figures, that red tape and officialism were constantly standing in the way of public convenience ; that in the Wairarapa district the industries on which most of the railway traffic depended were constantly hampered through want of proper accommodation, and that more especially the timber industry was subjected to the most serious injury. Besides all this, the railway revenue as a whole shows a great falling off, despite the fact that there is more traffic, and that a considerable distance of new railway has been opened. There is no doubt whatever as to the accuracy of Mr Buchanan’s statements on those points. We have examined the figures as given in the Gazette and other public documents connected with the railway department, and have arrived at precisely the e.ime results as Mr bai done. Jhe whole case rests in a nutshell. The North J

Wav shows au increase of revenue, but those of the Middle Island a terrible falling off. 1 The Government purchased political support > by unduly lowering the tariff on the Middle | Island lines, and as a result these lines are | being carried on at a heavy loss to the colony. I This flagrant bribery and corruption on the ' part of the Ministry in buying the votes of Middle Island members, has been perpetrated at the expense of the whole taxpayers of the colony, but more especially of those living iu the North Island. The osly other point in Mr Buchanan’s speech to which we have space to allude in the present artiole is that referring to the question of Local Government. Mr Buchanan showed that the Boads and Bridges Construction Act —despite some faults which were readily susceptible of amendment—had done an 'enormous amount of good in opening up outlying districts, But the Middle Island members were discontented with the Act, and so they and the present Government managed to repeal it. We hardly know what the Government have given the colony in place of that Act. They brought forward a Local Government Bill, reviving the old subsidy system, which proved so unequal and unsatisfactory in the past, and they proposed a borrowing scheme to the extent of six millions on the security of those subsidies. But the House cut this precious Bill all to pieces, and it came out of Committee with its twenty five years of subsidies out down to six months and with only nine clauses left out of fifty seven. Some time back we gave our readers a summary of this Bill as it ultimately passed. All we desire to say on the subject at present is that the Bill did not touch any of the main points of the Local Government question, and that the present Ministry, in meddling with it, have contrived to destroy a very useful Act which had previously worked well ; have given nothing satisfactory in its place, and generally have produced a state of things with respect to Local Government, which will require time and diligent work on the part of able men to set right. Mr Buchanan touched on several other subjects, on all of which he showed a possession of such knowledge as could only have been acquired by careful watchfulness of the proceedings of the House, and diligent investigation of all important measures brought before it. Mr Buchanan thoroughly satisfied his hearers, who gave J him hearty votes of thanks who justly thought that he had been a diligent and loyal representative iu Parliament, and had rendered a good account of his stewardship. On a future occasion we may deal in detail with some other points in Mr Buchanan’s speech.